Royal Palace of Stockholm
The working royal palace where Sweden's monarchy still conducts official business.
The Royal Palace of Stockholm — Kungliga slottet — is one of the largest palaces in the world still used as an official royal residence, with over 600 rooms spread across its imposing Baroque facade on Gamla Stan, Stockholm's old town island. Built largely in the early 18th century after a fire destroyed the medieval Tre Kronor castle that stood before it, the palace was designed by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and took decades to complete. Today it serves as the official workplace of King Carl XVI Gustaf, even though the royal family lives at Drottningholm Palace outside the city.
Visitors can explore several distinct museums and state apartments within the same building, which makes it unusually rich for a single site. The Royal Apartments contain lavishly decorated rooms used for state ceremonies, while the Treasury holds the Swedish crown jewels — crowns, orbs, and scepters dating back to the 16th century that are genuinely dazzling up close. The Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities displays classical sculptures collected by the king on his grand tour of Italy, and the separate Tre Kronor Museum in the palace cellars traces the history of the site through archaeological remains. The famous changing of the guard ceremony happens in the outer courtyard daily in summer and on weekdays in winter, drawing big crowds.
Buy a combination ticket that covers all the museums inside — it's significantly better value than individual entry and lets you move between exhibitions at your own pace. The palace sits right at the heart of Gamla Stan, so it pairs naturally with a wander through the surrounding medieval streets, but arrive early if you're visiting in peak summer, as the courtyards and popular treasury rooms get genuinely crowded by midday. Opening hours can vary seasonally and during state functions, so checking ahead before your visit is worth the thirty seconds it takes.